9 to 5 Homsar
by THEdragon-of-rainbows
Summary: Homsar waits at the local bus stop


If one were to search hard enough, they would soon come across one of the several man-made oddities scattered around Free Country, USA, with which the residents interact from time to time. One would also be likely to encounter natural oddities, too.

Walls, fences, drive-thru speakers and abandoned cars placed seemingly at random were among the man-made oddities. There was a bus stop sign out in a field of grass, just beyond the shrubbery, without a single road in sight. There had never been a bus seen there, or anywhere else in or around the town. It was just a signpost that read 'bus stop', at a place where no bus never had nor will stop.

At the bus stop, under the blue sky and sunshine, stood Homsar. He was one of Free Country's natural oddities. Beside him sat a briefcase and two bags of everyday groceries. It was nine o'clock.

It was nine o'clock. On that exact hour, Strong Sad left his house, his MP3 player in hand. He liked the way a perfect hour looked, a minute hand pointed directly upwards on an analog clock, a clean :00 on a digital. One minute more or less was off-putting, perfection missed by one single digit. Strong Sad took sight of the time and left the house before the next minute arrived. He had nowhere he needed to go in any hurry, but if his brothers were spending the day at home he was better off outdoors. Perhaps he could find inspiration out there.

It was a beautiful day outside, the sky was clear, the sun was shining warm and bright, and the grass was as green as ever. It was uncomfortably bright and cheery to Strong Sad, who preferred a darker, more overcast atmosphere. Putting his earbuds in and playing one of his favourite gloomy indie rock tunes, Strong Sad wandered away to the woods. Along his way, he caught sight of Homsar standing by the bus stop just beyond the shrubbery, but thought little to nothing of it.

Strong Sad left the woods feeling unsatisfied, his grey skin itching from some sort of allergic reaction to the flora. The woods were just too merry in broad daylight; it was far from the poetically melancholy mood he had hoped to achieve during his time alone for artistic inspiration. He now hoped his brutish older brothers and their furry yellow companion would have changed their minds and left the house, so he would be able to 'enjoy' a cheap microwaved lunch in peace.

It was on his slow walk back home when Strong Sad noticed in his peripheral vision, just beyond the shrubbery, that lone figure dressed in blue. He was standing beside that bus stop sign, just as he had been when Strong Sad passed by on his way to the woods in the morning. Homsar was still standing there. It was twelve o'clock.

It was twelve o'clock. Nothing felt as if it had changed but the position of the sun in the sky and the shadows at his feet. Homsar waited patiently, not growing frustrated, when the sound of heavy soolnds trudging across the grass grew nearer.

"Homsar, have you been here since this morning?" Strong Sad asked, a hint of bewilderment in his tone, "What are you doing, anyway?"

"AaaAAAaah, I'm waaAAaaiting…" Homsar replied, glancing up at his companion before turning his gaze back down the field.

Strong Sad scratched at the back of his head as he took in that statement. It was vague but it made a surprising amount of sense, at least in comparison to the odd things Homsar usually said.

"You're waiting for the bus?" Strong Sad asked, assuming that was what the other meant.

"I'm waaaaiting…" Was all Homsar responded with.

Strong Sad wanted to ask further but hesitated, figuring this was the best he would get. He nodded in mild defeat and acceptance then turned away, continuing the short journey home.

Free Country was just beginning to wind down after a pleasant, _relatively _incident-free day. The people all around had made good use of the nice weather. One of them had ignored his brown paper bags as their perishable contents went warm beside him, through those hours under the clear sunlight. His eyes were instead locked on to the horizon, where a startlingly vast expanse of green field met the sky.

No-one knew or cared why that bus stop was there, it was just another man-made oddity. What they did know was that one could wait for the bus all day, but it would not arrive. The bus would _never_ arrive. _The bus never existed_. Yet still, Homsar stood beside that sign, patient beyond the norm, since morning. It was five o'clock.

It was five o'clock. Homsar was still there when Strong Sad returned. Strong Sad didn't know why he bothered to return to that bus stop to check. He didn't know why anyone would return to that lost cause of a location. He didn't know why Homsar was still there, either, but he assumed it was just typical Homsar behaviour. Homsar's somewhat unpredictable nature always found a way to surprise Strong Sad.

"You're still here…" Strong Sad stated softly, observing the grocery bags and suitcase that had not been moved since he had first seen them.

"I'm waAaAiting…" Homsar bellowed, unfazed.

Strong Sad wondered if perhaps Homsar wasn't waiting for the bus, but for something else. Or maybe he just had no idea he had been shouting the same phrase all day. Strong Sad stood beside Homsar, casting his gaze out into the horizon as the other was.

"You've spent all day waiting for something that will never come, Homsar." Strong Sad began sombrely. "I feel like you're not the only one who's ever done that. Just standing there… Waiting patiently in denial… Maybe you don't even know what you're waiting for. You thought it was the bus, but it was something else. It was something a lot deeper. Maybe you're waiting to realise what you've been waiting for. But maybe I'm just over-thinking again… Do you mind if I use this concept? I've been trying to find inspiration and I think I could really get something from this."

"AaaAAaah, I'm waaaiting…" Homsar responded once more.

"…So am I, Homsar. So am I."


End file.
